With So Many Completely different Kinds of Potatoes: Which Is the Healthiest?

We not too long ago went all in on busting myths about potatoes (of which there are lots of!). This misunderstood vegetable doesn’t deserve its unhealthy popularity, and we hope we satisfied you that they’re truly not the villain. However as we dug into these myths, we additionally realized that it maybe isn’t truthful to group all potatoes into one big monolith.

So regardless of all potatoes typically being misunderstood, are there any potatoes which are more healthy than others? Are there some that provide further advantages? How will we select what kinds of potatoes to make use of for what sort of dish?

Which Potato Selection Is Healthiest?

We personally imagine each potato is scrumptious, and every has its personal strengths by way of vitamins and greatest makes use of. Right here’s how we’d deploy every sort of potato for a severely versatile arsenal of this scrumptious veggie. 

Purple Potatoes: The Antioxidant Powerhouse

• Standout profit: Based on current analysis, purple potatoes comprise at the very least double the quantity of antioxidants when in comparison with white potatoes¹.
• Key compound: Anthocyanins (the identical antioxidant that makes berries blue and purple) are a main antioxidant in purple potatoes².
• Analysis-backed advantages:
  • One examine discovered that there was round a 60% enhance in bloodstream antioxidant energy inside hours of consuming anthocyanin-rich meals³.
  • Consuming antioxidant-rich meals may also help scale back irritation within the physique, which might in flip assist decrease blood stress, stabilize blood sugar ranges, and shield the physique towards free radical harm⁴.
• Finest makes use of: Purple potatoes style nice roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of herbs. They’re additionally scrumptious boiled in dishes like potato salad, the place they supply a enjoyable increase of surprising coloration.
• Availability: Purple potatoes have gotten extra frequent in common grocery shops, however could also be simpler to search out in pure meals markets.

Pink Potatoes: Nutrient-Dense with Decrease Glycemic Influence

• Key benefits: 
  • Pink potatoes supply extra vitamins like potassium, fiber, and vitamin C than Russet potatoes
  • Decrease glycemic index (higher for blood sugar)
  • Waxy texture holds form nicely
  • Skinny, tender pores and skin is straightforward to go away on and eat, which reduces prep time
• Dietary spotlight: Pink potatoes have increased antioxidant ranges than white potatoes attributable to their anthocyanin content material. So when you’re questioning “are pink potatoes wholesome?”, the reply is sure.
• Finest makes use of: Pink potatoes are very versatile and might style nice of their boiled type in soups, stews, and potato salad, or of their roasted type with a wholesome fats and a sprinkle of salt and herbs.

Yukon Gold: The Balanced Alternative

• Key benefits:
  • Yukon Gold potatoes supply extra antioxidants than white Russet potatoes
  • Naturally buttery taste with out including butter
  • Medium starch content material, which makes them tremendous versatile
  • The golden flesh of Yukon Gold potatoes point out carotenoid antioxidants
• Finest makes use of: Yukon Gold potatoes are the jack-of-all-trades in the case of potatoes — they style nice of their mashed type, roasted in wedges with herbs and spices, baked as a easy facet dish, or in nearly any recipe that requires a potato.

Russet Potatoes: The Basic Workhorse

• Key benefits:
  • Highest starch content material
  • Fluffy texture when cooked
  • Most typical and reasonably priced
  • Nonetheless nutritious regardless of being “white”
• Hidden profit: One stand-out good thing about Russet potato diet is their excessive starch content material, which makes them wonderful for creating resistant starch when cooled⁵.
• Finest makes use of: Attributable to their fluffy texture, Russet potatoes are nice for baking, mashing, and for making a resistant starch for meal prep. In addition they work rather well when you’re making home made gnocchi!

The Verdict: Selection Is the Actual Winner

As you may see, whereas potatoes do all have sure commonalities, there’s a broad vary inside them that makes every good for various functions. Slightly than asking which of the numerous potato varieties is the healthiest, we imagine it’s greatest to rotate via totally different colours of potatoes for a various consumption of phytonutrients. 

In the end, all styles of potatoes present important potassium, vitamin C, and fiber, however pigmented varieties like purple and pink potatoes can comprise further antioxidants. Select potatoes based mostly on what cooking technique you’re utilizing and the provision of various potatoes. Plus, you’ll additionally should bear in mind issues like private choice and funds, so there’s no have to get hooked up to any single sort of potato!

The Backside Line: Potatoes Are Wholesome

So, is there a single “healthiest potato”? We don’t assume so. Potatoes are nutrient-dense greens that completely deserve a spot in a nutritious diet. They supply important vitamins that many Individuals lack, like fiber. Simply you should definitely put together and taste your potato in a wholesome method to take advantage of this scrumptious and nutritious tuber.

Sources:

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4935237/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12348956/
3. https://www.researchgate.web/publication/224943222_Serum_antioxidant_status_among_young_middle-aged_and_elderly_people_before_and_after_antioxidant_rich_diet
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12633781/
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6818944/

Tags: are potatoes wholesome potato diet potato varieties kinds of potatoes